Times Free PressThe church pastor wanted money to support missionaries overseas. He passed the offering plate among his congregation, and it came back nearly empty. "Where are the young people?" he asked. "They're not contributing to our fund." So he preached a series on generosity and passed the plate again — to similar results. Instead of filling the offering plate, the younger church members invited missionaries to their homes for dinner.READ MORE

KPLR-TVThe tragic Las Vegas shooting has local faith leaders offering comfort for those in grief. Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh is the senior rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Creve Coeur. She said faith and prayer can help be a guide for those struggling with grief. “I think we also at the same time have to balance that with action,” said Hersh. She said the action could be giving blood or something as simple as treating strangers with more kindnessREAD MORE

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The Church NetworkThe national church staff compensation survey of The Church Network is available now and 24/7. MinistryPay.com provides a deep dive into how your compensation and benefits packages compare to similar churches in a range of practical criteria, including: denomination, region, metro location, weekly attendance, and budget size. It is the ideal resource for compensation planning. One publication referred to this survey as "the source of all sources on the topic of compensation for religious professionals." The Church Network is committed to ensuring that churches and their compensation experts have direct access to important compensation and benefit analysis information. In order to create a robust report, we are asking for your help by participating in MinistryPay.com, where we collect detailed compensation and benefits information for over 100 positions within a church. All compensation data are confidential. Participants receive reports at a discounted rate. Members of The Church Network receive an additional discount. Participate and subscribe today at MinistryPay.com.

Church ExecutiveWhile this might seem like a simple empty-nester realization, or the commendable efforts of a spiritual leader to motivate his congregation, it’s much more than that — it’s any pastor’s giving story. And it’s a story that you should be able to tell, too. A giving story is the testimony of the transformational work God has done in someone’s heart when it comes to giving — whether it’s moving from obligation to giving cheerfully, or the process of overcoming debt by following godly financial principles.READ MORE

Building God’s WayDiscover a network of Kingdom building solutions that has helped ministries nationwide to grow, fund, build and sustain their vision! Learn how to maximize the untapped potential of your facility for greater community impact and financial sustainability. Hear about the revolutionary Building God’s Way approach that integrates biblical stewardship, relationships and ministry outreach, and cuts construction costs by up to 30%! Free seminars coming this fall.READ MORE

Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, P.A.Nonprofit leaders looking to quickly and efficiently equip their board or finance committee members to oversee the financial affairs of their organization now have a new resource available. Nonprofit Financial Oversight – The Concise and Complete Guide for Boards and Finance Committees (Accountability Press), written by CPA Michael E. Batts, offers straightforward guidance for nonprofit leaders on “covering the bases” in their organizations based on his more than 30 years of hands-on experience serving hundreds of nonprofit organizations.READ MORE

Christianity TodayFor decades in the United States, religious giving has reliably been the largest single segment of the charitable donation ecosystem. But for a number of years, religious giving has been slowing. After adjustment for inflation, giving to religious organizations grew at less than 1 percent, year-over-year in 2014: the smallest increase among all categories of giving. While religious giving remains the largest single sector—for now—it is rapidly losing ground, falling from 53 percent of all donations in 1987 to just 32 percent in 2014.READ MORE

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Harvard Business ReviewNo commute. No drive-by meetings. No dress code. Remote working can seem like a dream — until personal obligations get in the way. These distractions are easy to ignore in an office, but at home it can be difficult to draw the line between personal and professional time.READ MORE

Church LeadersIn his ominously titled book The End of White Christian America, Robert P. Jones (CEO, Public Religion Research Institute) chronicles the demise of the white American church. Among the symptoms that have led to this terminal diagnosis, Jones identifies a “major force of change in the religious landscape: young adults’ rejection of organized religion. Young adults are three times as likely as seniors to claim no religious affiliation.”READ MORE

By Mark MacDonald I often hear things like "we're the best-kept secret" and then "if more people understood all the good things we had to offer, we'd be turning people away." That’s a communication problem. And since the overwhelming majority of churches don't turn people away on Sunday morning, we can assume one of two things: The ministries aren't interesting, or the ministries aren't communicated properly. Let's pretend it's the second. READ MORE

The Christian PostAbout half of Protestants in the U.S. now agree with the "historically Catholic belief" that both faith and good deeds are needed for salvation, rather than faith alone, a Pew Research Center survey shows. White Evangelicals stood out as the strongest believers in faith alone, however.READ MORE

The Christian PostAmerica is reeling again. Families have been ripped apart and individual lives have been torn apart. One day we're reeling from devastating hurricanes, the next day we're torn apart by racial divisions, the next day we're ripped apart by the worst mass shooting in our history. The pain is palpable, the shock tangible. Can America still be healed?READ MORE

WFMY-TVThe Congregational United Church of Christ in Greensboro is one of three churches in North Carolina that offer Sanctuary for undocumented immigrants and refugees facing removal. Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church in Greensboro and The School for Conversion in Durham are the other two churches serving as Sanctuary to undocumented immigrants Juana Ortega and José Chicas.READ MORE

ForbesManagement support is crucial to the success of any workplace wellness program. As leaders, managers have the opportunity to build supportive work environments that promote employee health and well-being. Employee wellness is a smart investment for today’s managers. Research has shown the link connecting employee health behaviors with healthcare costs and the bottom line.READ MORE

By Catherine Iste Jen's perfume is bothering Carol. No one cares about Steve's six cats. Sue gets upset when John clears his throat so vigorously in meetings. As leaders, we often become the mediator of unusual interpersonal issues. Though we may want to ignore them, doing so can allow the situation to blossom into a real problem. Here are some tips to nip awkward situations in the bud.READ MORE

After twenty years, CEEP is seeking a new Executive Director. It is with heavy hearts that we will bid farewell to our beloved, talented director, Cynthia Cannon McWhirter, who will retire next spring. As with all transitions, this poses both a challenge and an opportunity for CEEP. Under her leadership, CEEP has become an organization with a strong foundation and a respected voice in the Episcopal church. Now we discern what is next.